By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 30 July 2024 (IDN) —The US, responding to a new nuclear alliance comprising Russia, China and North Korea, has reassured Japan protection under its nuclear umbrella and pledged to “elevate the Japan-US alliance to an unprecedented height.” At a July 28 press briefing in Tokyo, US Secretary of State […]
Labyrinth of Propaganda: Manipulating Political Ideologies
Decoding the intentional confusion in modern extremism, left-right polarization, and global narratives By Boaventura De Sousa Santos* This article is being republished courtesy of Meer where it was originally published. COIMBRA, Portugal | 28 July 2024 (IDN) — In periods of great social and political polarization, names, concepts and ideologies are subject to great semantic […]
UNHCR Chief Hails Refugee Athletes as A Beacon of Hope and Peace
By Jaya Ramachandran PARIS | 27 July 2024 (IDN) — The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, has urged the world to follow the example of the refugee teams that are competing, as they promote peaceful co-existence and mutual respect. “Sport is a symbol of hope and of peace, which are sadly in […]
Chinese University Leads with Innovative SDG Summer School
By Viliame Tawanakoro* WUHAN, China | 27 July 2024. (IDN | Wansolwara) — An innovative summer school program by China’s Wuhan University focusing on reporting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) concluded on 26 July with its coordinator Professor Ji Li declaring “this will be the first of many more to come”. The Luojlia Global Summer School […]
Sudan Descends into Hell: Betrayed and Ignored by the International Community
By Daniel Haile* KILLEEN, Texas, USA | 26 July 2024 (IDN) — The global indifference to one of the deadliest civil and proxy wars is fueling the conflict in Sudan—and the shameful abandonment should ignite condemnation and anger within the international community. The departure of Omar Al-Bashir, the strongman of Nubia, has plunged Sudan into […]
Does The Value of The Olympics Still Justify the Cost?
By Tim Harcourt* SYDNEY | 26 July 2024 (IDN) — A country doesn’t host the Olympic Games to make a profit. So why do they bother? South Korea held the Seoul Olympics in 1988 to show off its economic miracle. Beijing used 2008 to show the world its enormous economic advancement. At Sochi in 2014, […]
Europe Should not Be Pushed by US Influence to Confront Russia
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 25 July 2024 (IDN) — Once the Warsaw Pact closed shop there was no good or honest reason for keeping NATO going. The threat that NATO was created to deter disappeared when the Soviet Union collapsed. The European Union’s influence on the new post-Cold War order has been by […]
Ten Principles for Perpetual Peace in the 21st Century
The United Nations-based structures are fragile and in need of an urgent upgrade; we should consider this one at the U.N. Summit of the Future in September. By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK | 24 July 2024 (IDN) — Next […]
Norway – A Global Peace Aspirant, Environmental Champion, and a Wealthy Quiet Achiever
By Dr Palitha Kohona* OSLO, Norway | 24 July 2024 (IDN) — A few days in Norway’s summer swept capital Oslo, on the way to the Arctic via Tronso with an expedition ship presented a mixed bag of surprises. Contrary to expectations, Norway was not full of rich, blonde or red haired and blue eyed […]
Bringing Local Sustainable Development to Scale
By Yossef Ben-Meir* MARRAKECH, Morocco | 22 July 2024 (IDN) — For many organizations and agencies around the world, the matter of scaling local successes of development remains a seemingly insurmountable challenge and obligation. When participating in conferences, strategic planning, open forums, and studies on this critical necessity, so much of the consideration is focused […]